What do you do when something in your body feels wrong but the doctors can't find anything?

2017-03-26T00:20:30-04:00

Response by PO2 Sybil "TT" I. made Mar 26 at 2017 12:28 AM

2017-03-26T00:28:05-04:00

Keep the log as Crafton suggested, and also consider your mind and attitude. How you think can have a profound impact on how you feel.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2017 8:56 AM

2017-03-26T08:56:51-04:00

same thing you do with an obvious injury. document everything, seek medical opinions/care, and do everything within your power not to let you injuries limit you. eventually you'll get the answers you need if you do those three things.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2017 10:10 AM

2017-03-26T10:10:29-04:00

SGT Private RallyPoint Member - Make certain you are seeing an "attending physician" with decades of experience - not an intern or resident. Do your own search for answers using both consumer tools (e.g. Google, WebMD, etc) and medical tools (PubMed, ScienceDirect, etc). Sometimes seeing a physician diagnostic specialist helps. I wonder what kind of symptoms you are having that bring about this question. Warmest Regards, Sandy :)

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2017 10:31 AM

2017-03-26T10:31:58-04:00

It depends on what is wrong. If you have a rash, make a log and try to eliminate any potential allergens. If you have a physical injury, document your range of motion and your limitations and seek a second or third opinion if results are not true to your condition. Lastly, if you are feeling sick or have some other condition, do a little research on your own and present ideas to your doctor.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2017 1:23 PM

2017-03-26T13:23:30-04:00

One thing that's very helpful, if you can (and I know it's hard in the military) is to develop a good relationship with one Primary Care Physician (PCP). I was fortunate to have a very caring PCP for many years. I started having these weird things happening to me in 2000, then some seriously bad things in 2005, then even worse things in 2008 that totally disabled me. Along the way, tests couldn't find anything wrong. Sometimes they showed something; other times they went back to normal. I developed some other very serious physical signs they could see on MRI, but they had no idea how they were connected.

Doctors, specialists and psychiatrists at the VA thought it was just all in my head, but the civilian doctors who my PCP sent me to were told, "My patient has the real deal. I've seen him for years and I've seen the physical changes this disease or illness has caused. It's not a psychological ailment, it's physiological. Please give him help." I also had seen a mental health counselor for my PTSD long before I started getting sick. She was able to help me after I started getting ill, and knew that this was truly something "real", and not something that wa springing from my "mind."

Long story short, the civilian doctors pursued the physical issues, determined all the elements and ruled that I had Gulf War Illness (GWI), a series of undiagnosed illnesses and chronic multisymptom illnesses from exposures encountered during the Gulf War. As hard as the VA pushed back, they finally had had to agree, at least the medical side (VHA) that I have GWI. The benefits side (VBA) is still fighting with me; nine years now for my claim and still waiting for a Board of Veterans Appeals docket number.

But having that relationship with a single doctor can make a big difference.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Mar 27 at 2017 12:25 AM

2017-03-27T00:25:36-04:00

SGT Private RallyPoint Member You persist, and You deal with it....
I July 2006 I was hit by a rocket, and I have had persistent headaches ever since... But, no one can figure out why and how to mitigate it... The rocket incident caused an eye injury, which since then have resulted in the Ophthalmologist and the Neurologist arguing over the root cause... So, after years of trying to figure out the problem... and after many guesswork solutions... I just came to grips with the fact that I may always have headaches...

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Mar 28 at 2017 1:06 PM

2017-03-28T13:06:46-04:00

Get another opinion